Assorting and delivering mechanism.



H. M. VINCENT.- ASSORTING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6- 1915- Patented Apr. 2,191&

UNITED STATES PATENT oniucn.

' HERBERT M. vrncnnr, on NEW nunronn,

& 00., INCORPORATED, OF NEW BEDF MAINE.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO J; C. RHODES 0RD, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATIONOF ASSORTIN G AND DELIVERING MECHANISM.

Application filed July 6, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIERBERT M. VINCENT, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Assorting andDelivering Mechanisms, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like referencecharacters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to mechanism for asserting articles, such aseyelets or eyelet blanks, from a mass contained in bulk and deliveringthem successively in predetermined position to one or more raceways.

An object of the invention is to provide mechanism of the characterindicated which I shall be adapted for handling a large numher ofarticles at a high rate of speed. The invention is herein disclosed asapplied to mechanism for supplying eyelet blanks to a series of racewaysintended to conduct the blanks to instrumentalities which insert them instrawboard sheets. This is desired in the process of producing enameleyelets, the flanges of the eyelet blanks being coated while the blanksare inserted and held in the strawboard sheets and then the sheets withthe coated blanks are placed in a baking furnace. The eyelet blanks maybe inserted at a high rate of speed if they can be supplied withsufficient rapidity, although heretofore they could not be supplied asrapidly as they could be inserted so that the capacity of the insertingor sticking machine was limited by a comparatively slow rate of sup ply.By the mechanism herein disclosed it has been found possible for thefirst time to insure an ample supply of blanks at a rate equal to themaximum speed of the inserting instrumentalities.

In the mechanism herein shown there is provided a hopper for containinga large quantity of blanks in bulk and an inclined delivery plate towhich similarly positioned blanks are supplied from the hopper and fromwhich opens a V series of raceways. This hopper is preferably relativelywide with a large capacity and, as shown, the delivery plate is providedwith converging walls so that the articles passing from the hopper maybe concentrated in large numbers at the raceway-openings.

The presentation of a large number of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918. Serial No. 38,331.

eyelet blanks to the contracted portion of the delivery plate undercertain conditions would be likely toproduce a jamming or wedging of theblanks between the sides of the plate, with the result that the sup lyto the raceways would be interrupted. have discovered, however, that theuse of a series of pins properly located with one adjacent to theopening of each raceway will prove eflectual in preventing the jammingof the blanks by holding back certain of them and permitting others topass freely into the ra ceways.

This and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preierred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective with portions broken out to showcertain details of construction, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

The hopper to which the eyelet blanks are supplied in bulk comprises alarge open box of substantially oblong shape having walls 10 and abottom plate 12. The bottom plate 12 is supported at a slightinclination by a standard 14 secured to a slide plate 16. At its loweredge hopper merges into a delivery plate 22 which is disposed at asomewhat greater inclination than the bottom plate The side walls of thedelivery plate 22 converge inwardly toward the lower edge of thedelivery plate and consequently concentrate into a narrower compass theeyelet blanks which pass to it from the hoppe Y Extending across theupper portion of the delivery plate 22, at a height sufiicient to permitthe passage beneath it of the eyelet blanks, is a stationary cover plate26 having at its upper edge a flange to which is secured a separatingdevice in the form of a toothed plate or comb 24. The plate 24- is sodisposed as to permit the passage from the hopper of those eyelet blanksonly which rest upon their flanges.

Adjacent to the lower edge of the delivery plate 22 is secured a piece34 having a curved surface in which are formed portionsof the raceways35 which at their upper ends open from thedeliveryplate 22. A seriesofpartitions comprising plates 36 are secured to the delivery plate 22between each pair of ad acent raceways. The plates 36, as shown in Fig.1, are alternately long and short and each is curved at its upper end tomeet the advancing eyelet blanks.

In orderto prevent the jamming of the eyelets as they approach theopenings of the raceways, a series of pins 38 are set in the deliveryplate 22 adjacent to the partition plates 36. These pins 38 extend intwo rows, from side to side of the delivery plate, between itsconverging walls. Each pin of the upper row of pins is locatedsubstantially opposite to the end of one of the partition plates 36.Each pin of the lower row is located substantially in line with one sideof one raceway. The eifect of the pins'is to permit the free passage tothe raceway openings of those of the eyelet blanks which by movement ina straight line would normally reach the 0penings,holding the othereyelets back temporarily and then permitting them to move laterallytowa-rc the openings. The arrangement of the pins herein disclosed isnot essential to the successful operation of the mechanism although ithas beentound in practice to be that which gives the best results.Arranged above that portion of the delivering plate 22 which carries thepins 38 and the partition plates 36 is a. cover plate 28 connected tothestationary cover plate 26 by hinges 80. This plate may be lifted toafford access to the delivery plate for the purpose of removing anobstruction or for any other purpose. A handle a0 is provided forlifting the plate 38 and a clamp 32 for maintaining it in place.

The slide plate 16 which carries all the parts above described isarranged for reciprocatory movement in guideways formed in a plate 20which may comprise a portion of the sticking machine. provided with anopening 18 for the reception of the upper end or an oscillating arm 19secured to an operating shaft 21 as shown in Fig. 2. The vibration thusimparted to the hopper causes the eyelet blanks supplied thereto toassume by gravity their most stable position, that is, to say, theposition in which they rest upon their flanges. As already explained,this is the position they must assume to pass through the separator cone2% and to enter the raceways 35.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire'to secureby Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Assorting and delivering mechanism comprising a hopper having aninclined bot- 7 tom, an inclined delivery plate leading from the bottomof the hopper, a comb having spacedteeth terminating above the deliveryplate, for preventing the passage of flanged The slide plate 16 is.

articles except in one position to the delivery Jlate a racewa leadinfrom the deliverin 7 plate, and a pin set in the delivery plate adacentto the receiving end of the raceway.

2. Asserting and delivering mechanism comprising a hopper, an inclineddelivery plate, a series of raceways leading "from the delivery plate,and a double row of spaced pins set in the delivery plate adjacent tothe ends of the raceways.

3. Asserting and delivering mechanism comprising a bodily movablehopper, an inclined delivery plate, a series of raceways leading fromthe lower edge of the delivery plate, and a row of spaced pins extendingacross the cclivery plate above the raceway ends.

Assorting and deli ering mechanism comprising a delivery olatc, meansfor supplying articles to the piate, a series of raceways leading fromthe plate, partitions with curved ends between adjacent raceways, and apin located. op osite-to the end of each partition. I

5. Asserting and delhrering mechanism comprising a delivery plate, meansfor supplying articles to the plate, a series of raceways opening fromthe plate, partitions extending upon the plate between adjacentraceways, a pin opposite to each partition, and another pin adjacent toeach raceway opening.

6. Assorting and delivering mechanism comprising a delivery plate, meansfor supcomprising a bodily movable hopper, an in' clined delivery plateleading from the hopper and having convergent side walls, racewaysopening from the lower edge of the plate, and a row of spaced pinsextending between the convergent walls above the race way openings. 4

8. Asserting and delivering mechanism comprising a hopper having aninclinet delivery plate ith nonparallel side walls, raceways openinfrom. the plate, pins adj acent to the raceway ends, and a remo"-.'ablocover plate above the delivery plate in the locality of the pins. r

9. Asserting and delivering mechanism comprising a hopper, a series ofracewam constructed and arranged to be supplied from the hopper andal"e"nately long and short partitions between successive adjacent pairsof raceways.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification.

HERBERT M. VINCENT.

have signed my Copiesiof this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

' Washington, I). G.

